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SALT LAKE CITY — Police have arrested two men in connection with the shooting death of a man in Salt Lake Saturday morning.
Nicholas James Valdez, 27, was arrested on suspicion of homicide in the death of 28-year-old David Gonzalez, according to Salt Lake police. Donald Valdez, 31, was booked on suspicion of obstruction of justice.
Around 7 a.m., a resident in the area of 970 S. 300 West heard three gunshots fired and a female scream. When police officers arrived following a 911 call and hang-up, they found a body laying on the west sidewalk of 300 West and a number of people running in different directions.
Police said the man was shot in the forehead.
A statement issued on behalf of the family by Gonzalez's cousin Nelson Torres said, "David was a loyal, loving and heartfelt individual who will be severely missed and thought of every day by the family."
Jeremy Heath, whose roommate heard the gunshots, awoke to find crime scene investigators scouring his backyard.
"The guys jumped the fence. Their clothing was still hung on the barbed wire and they ditched their gun behind all the plywood right here," he said, indicating a pile of wood in his backyard.
Police recovered a handgun from the scene and have interviewed a number of witnesses, aggressively pursuing leads. A business owner on the same street said he gave police surveillance tape to review.
Neighbors said it is another tragedy in an area that sees a lot of crime.
"My grandmother's owned this property for 20 years and there's just always been problems," Heath said.
